You Are Your Father’s Son

Dear Xander,

Based on feedback garnered from the readers of this blog (in other words, your mother), I shall keep my letters to you shorter and sharper.

Your mother also has some opinion of your character development. Besides some of the other characteristics and behaviour you exhibit that take after me, she has noticed in recent months that both you and your father (me) seem to get into trouble with your mother at around the same time; she finds herself scolding you about something, and then scolding ME about 2 or 3 minutes later, for an unconnected yet related incident.

For example:

Your mother (to you): “XANDER TAY! Why did you throw your dirty clothes at mummy’s face?!”

(3 minutes later)

Your mother (to me): “Oi! Why are your clothes on the floor and not in the laundry basket?!”

(Your mother has dispensed with calling me by name some time ago, but bear in mind, you aren’t allowed to call any of us “Oi”.)

That being said, your mother and I are now very glad that we can have much more intelligible conversations with you over the dinner table, a phenomenon that developed just as you turned 3, but the one chain of Q and A you learned from your Auntie Susie (my 2nd sister) that will always melt our hearts (extended family included) has always been this:

Your mother: “Do you love mummy?”
You: “I love you.”
Your mother; “How much?”
You: “Forever.”

We are going to hold you to that promise, kid.

Love,

Dad